It’s a rumor, but there might be some truth to it.
KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that there is a more than 50% chance of Apple releasing a Siri Speaker, an all-new category for the company, at the Worldwide Developers Conference starting June 5th. In addition, he says that there is more than 70% chance of an all-new design 10.5-inch iPad Pro to be announced at the keynote.
Along with this, Apple is expected to make inevitable operating system announcements in the form of iOS 11, macOS 10.13, tvOS 11 and watchOS 4. KGI has not offered insight into what functionality or changes the new software will bring but it does include some notes about the predicted hardware unveilings.
KGI described the rumored 10.5-inch as an all-new design. The company stated that Apple will announce the new tablet at WWDC is based on the fact it expects mass production of the 10.5-inch iPad to start in late Q2, which is close enough to the conference date. Leaks from accessory manufacturer support the idea of a June launch for the 10.5-inch model.
The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is thought to look similar to the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, but feature narrower bezels that are thought to match the bezel-less design of the upcoming iPad. KGI expects Apple to ship about 6 million 10.5-inch iPad Pros this year, targeting corporate and commercial sectors.
Kuo also stated that Apple’s speaker system will boast premium audio quality and a higher price tag than the Amazon Echo. A new tidbit in today’s report is the fact that the device will include a ‘touch panel’. It’s not clear if this means something like capacitive buttons or a touchscreen display, a la Amazon Echo Show.
Although the Worldwide Developers Conference is generally a software-only show, in 2012, WWDC played host to the first Retina MacBook Pro and 2013 saw the sneak peek of the trashcan Mac Pro. For 2015, it was widely rumored that Apple was set to unveil the fourth-generation Apple TV at the conference … but this did not transpire.
It all comes down to June 5th, so stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac